The ring
by Ohgress
Summary: She was falling in love with Martin Riggs... Part 5 of The Riggsmer series.
1. Chapter 1

She was falling in love with Martin Riggs, with his cute smile, his stupid mustache, his kind brown eyes, his crazy wit, his strength, his weaknesses, and he was still wearing a wedding ring.

Don't ever fall in love with men wearing wedding rings, every lifestyle magazine in the world would tell her. And yet here she was, snuggled into him in her bed, drawing patterns on his broad chest with her index finger, listening to his even breathing. There wasn't a chance in hell this was going to end well.

He didn't have a wife anymore, but she didn't have him either. He was only partially there. Yes, he made love to her, passionately so, even franticly sometimes, but since that first time, she knew that he struggled with his thoughts. It was only natural of course. She had just met him too soon, but she didn't want to let him go now, couldn't, so she held on.

And she put up this façade, that it was just a "casual friends with benefits" thing, two fucked-up adults helping each other out with physical comfort, it was his language with her after all, but she knew, ever since she'd woken up from her involuntary nap at Avery's office with his jacket delicately placed over her, that she wanted more than casual.

But he was still wearing a wedding ring… She could feel it against her back where he held her in place against him.

Then, her phone rang, and seconds later Riggs' phone began ringing, definitely work. They looked at each other, disappointed they had to leave this bubble of fragile happiness.

"I hate the Flores cartel so much", Riggs said without even knowing they were responsible for the calls, but he was right as usual. And in the next 24 hours all hell broke loose.

She got shot. The bullet managed to hit her between the plates on her vest, piercing through her side and she fell. The asphalt underneath her was cold and wet and her world was turning red in front of her eyes. It must have sliced an artery, she thought. Damn. So this was it then. Too bad, she was getting so close to finish this clusterfuck. And Riggs… She had met Riggs, the lovable doofus of a man. She smiled at that thought as bullets were flying all over the street. She concentrated on his smile as she began feeling herself fade away.

Suddenly, he was there above her and in front of her eyes, frantically trying to stop the blood flow coming from her side.

"Hey, Palmer! Stay with me! You got this. You're going to be okay," he tried to comfort her with panic in his eyes but she knew he was wrong this time. There was no okay at the end of this line. She shook her head at him. He was going to have to take over the case now, but she wanted him to know. Life was too short for games. God, what a cruel joke this life was. She looked at him with sadness in her eyes.

"I was in love with you," she managed to whisper, the dull pain taking over more and more. Riggs just stared at her and then he picked her up in his arms.

"Ssh, you're going to be okay, Palmer," he continued to try and persuade her, or more like persuade himself, whispering in to her hair.

"Where the hell is the ambulance?" He shouted next to the people around them she couldn't see. "She's bleeding out!" He clung her to him, squeezing her side hard and Karen felt herself beginning to pass out.

"You're a good man, Martin Riggs. Remember that. A good man…" She whispered once more and then, there was only darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Beeping, endless beeping. Flashes of bright light. Voices. One voice, a deep one she knew.

"Sorry I was an ass…"

So many sounds. Shuffling feet. That voice again.

"I'm gonna try. I want to."

Shrill metal against solid.

"You're gonna be fine."

Blue colors, then white.

"I'll see you soon, okay?"

Black again.


	3. Chapter 3

The feeling of déjà vu every time he entered Palmer's ICU ward was overwhelming but it got better by each day because she was improving. It had been a very close call. The bullet had punctured her spleen and she had lost a lot of blood. After the surgery, the doctors put her in an induced coma to better monitor any internal bleeding. It had been a week and she was stabilizing. The bleeding had stopped and her vitals was better, they were going to wake her up.

He couldn't even remember breathing during the first couple of hours after the shoot-out. He didn't remember how he got to the hospital. Roger must have taken them there, because suddenly he was there again, with the same kind of dizziness from hypoxia like last time. He wasn't alone this time though. He and Roger just sat there in the waiting room. No one said anything, but it was good. They probably should have been working, or at least Roger, but he didn't leave Riggs' side.

After another couple of hours, the surgeon told them she was going to make it, and he started breathing again. Roger insisted that he'd stay at his house and it was probably a good idea because sometime during the night he broke down where he was lying on their couch. But instead of visiting his old friend Jack D he knew Rog had a hidden bottle of, he made a cup of coffee and drove back to the hospital.

Fuck this! He dried his tears with the back of his hand. He did deserve to be happy. Palmer was going to be okay and he was not backing out of this. He wasn't going to half-play it anymore. They were a great fucking team and he enjoyed spending time with her and maybe, just maybe the universe was paying back to him.

She had also told him something while lying there on the street, slowly bleeding out, that took him completely by surprise. He hadn't responded because he didn't know how. He had no idea she felt like that. What did he feel? Not that. How long had they known each other? A couple of weeks. How could she honestly have started feeling something like that in only a couple of weeks? But how long had it taken for him to fall for Miranda? It wasn't more than days and then he was head over heels. And he was still in love with his wife, what the fuck was he going to do now? All these thoughts were swirling around in his mind while driving closer to his destination.

"She's been fighting it."

"I'm sorry, what?" The nurse broke his trance. He was standing by her bed, staring at all the tubes connected to her frail body.

"She's been fighting the coma, we had to increase the dose of anesthetics." The nurse stood at the end of Palmer's bed watching them. Riggs smiled and looked back at Palmer.

"Yeah, that sounds like her. She likes being in control."

"How long have you been married?" Riggs eyes widened. Not again. He looked at his wedding ring.

"Um… we're not… she's just a friend."

"Oh sorry, I thought… Sorry." The nurse looked embarrassed.

"Nuh, don't mind it. It's uh… it's complicated." Now Riggs felt embarrassed. Was it really that complicated? It wasn't even his ring. Why was it so hard? The nurse fidgeted awkwardly with Palmer's chart, blushing like she stepped in on something that wasn't her business.

"I'm a widower." He needed to clear this mishap up and he realized it was the first time he'd ever used that word. "My wife passed away."

"Oh, I see." The nurse gave him one of those patented compassionate smiles only health professionals knew how to and he cringed. He was beginning to leave the room to get out of the situation when the nurse held her hand up and said "I'll leave the two of you alone. I'm sure she's aware that you are here. Feel free to talk to her. It helps."

He nodded at the nurse as she walked out of the room and left them alone. He looked at Palmer again. She looked like shit. Pale as a sheet and that awful respirator covering half her face. But she was alive and he could see her eyes moving under her eyelids.

"Hey Palmer. You really scared me there. You gotta stop doing that."

Nothing happened, but it wasn't supposed to either. He sighed and looked around the room and found a chair in the corner. He moved it closer to her bed and sat down, carefully taking her right hand in his left.

The ring. It was glaring at him. He'd never felt that way about it before. So far it had been a pacifier of sorts. He felt so utterly naked after losing the real one that he just had to buy a new one. To feel she was still there, wrapped around his finger. But this golden band wasn't her, she was at the bottom of the ocean.

He let go of Palmer's hand and removed the ring from his finger, twirled it around, looking at it. He cast his eyes on Palmer's closed ones next.

"It's not even mine. Stupid, huh?" He tried out the feeling of being without the ring, flexing his fingers. It still felt naked, but bearable.

"I'm gonna leave this here for you. I won't need it anymore," he said to her, taking her hand again. It felt better, not as empty as before, warmer.

"I'm sorry I was an ass." He placed the ring on the metal tray next to the headboard. "I'm gonna try. I want to." He paused and stood up. "You're gonna be fine." He bent down and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you soon, okay?" He left the room feeling a lot calmer than he had on the way there.

That had been 6 days ago, now he was standing by her bed watching the medical staff as they prepared for her waking up. He was nervous. The doctors had said there was always a risk removing the respirator before she was fully awake but they wanted to see if she could breathe on her own. The removal of the tube went fine and after some long seconds and some added oxygen through a nose tube, she coughed and started breathing with a wheeze. The nurse told him they had shut off the sedatives and that she may awake quickly or it might take a while. Riggs took a deep breath, grabbed her hand and waited.


	4. Chapter 4

The beeping got louder, so fucking loud. Why was there a beeping? Had she gone to hell? Fuck. Now something was blinding her. It was like the worst hangover ever. What the fuck was this? Oh God, she wanted to vomit. Next thing she knew she started coughing. Jesus Christ, her throat hurt like a bitch and it was dry like a dessert. What on earth did she do last night?

"Palmer?" Someone was leaning over her. Riggs? What was he doing here? What kind of freak bender had they been on? Of course it was all his fault. No, wait a minute. He wasn't supposed to be here. No, she wasn't supposed to be here, Riggs was. What the hell was going on? She tried to ask him but all that came out was a grunt and then there was more coughing.

"Don't try to talk okay? You've had a tube down your chest. Here, have some water." Riggs held a cup to her mouth and the cool liquid was like life to her.

"Careful, just sip it." Since when was she sipping anything? God! She tried to move her arm to grip the cup but she discovered it was almost an impossible task.

"Just lie back. I'm gonna go get the nurse. Okay?" He was looking at her with his warm brown eyes, a little wet from emotion, and it was the most beautiful thing she'd even seen. Riggs chuckled.

"Okay, good girl." He kissed her forehead and Palmer thought life was pretty good after all. A prince had woken her up, a prince with a mustache. Ha! That was so funny.

Riggs came back in with a nurse in tow. He was still smiling at her. He was so handsome. The nurse looked between them and snickered.

"Okaay, hello there. I'm Nurse Sally. Can you please tell me your name?"

"K… Karen." She swallowed. Damn, talking was hard.

"Good. Can you tell me what year you were born, Karen?"

"1980," she croaked out. The nurse nodded and smiled at her while checking her pulse.

"Do you know where you are?"

Palmer looked around for the first time. It was a hospital.

"Hospital."

"That's correct. Do you know what happened to you?"

What a stupid question! That was what she wanted to know. She tried to think back. Riggs' worried face flashed before her eyes. Gunshots echoing. Oh.

"I was shot?" She wasn't sure, but logic told her that.

"Yes, you were shot. The bullet hit your spleen after piercing your ribcage but we managed to save it. We had to put you in an induced coma though. You have been asleep for a week."

A week? She looked at Riggs who were hanging back at the door. He nodded his confirmation at her. Shit.

"How do you feel, Karen?"

"Shit." Seriously, it was the only word to described it. Riggs snorted. The nurse waved him over to the bed.

"I want you to drink some more water, Karen, and then I'll come back in a while to see how it goes, okay?" She nodded at the nurse. She wanted more water.

"If you can help her, Mr. Riggs?" The nurse asked him before walking out.

"Sure." Riggs tried to smooth his now ridiculously long curls behind his ears. He pushed his shirt sleeves up and brought the cup for her to drink again, but he paused just before he reached her mouth, caught in her eyes.

"Hi."

"Hey." She smiled at him. He smiled back. And then he remembered his task and carefully put one hand behind her head and the other tipping the cup for her. She drank up all the water and sighed contently, lying back again. She looked at him. The curls had fallen in front of his face again.

"You really need a haircut, Riggs," she wheezed. Riggs laughed at her.

"That's your first comment? Oh goodie! You're gonna be just fine, Palmer."

"Yeah, I know. You told me." Her eyes widened. He had actually told her that. Images and sounds started to flood her mind. She felt nauseous again.

"Hey, you okay?" Riggs asked softly. She nodded. She remembered. The cold asphalt, thinking this was the end, looking up at his frantic eyes. She started hyperventilating.

"Hey, relax, take it easy! It all worked out okay, yeah?" Riggs was stroking her hair and held her hand, trying to ground her. "Deep breaths, Karen. In and out." She looked at him. He normally didn't use her first name. She normally didn't use his, but she mimicked his breathing and she started to feel calmer again. She could have died. It must have been close.

"I thought…" She began.

"Yeah, I know. It was close. You really scared me there for a while." He filled in.

"Mm, me too. I didn't want to go," she sobbed.

"You didn't." He kept caressing her head, smiling at her. It felt so good. She closed her eyes for a moment. She was still here. Thank God! Tears spilled over her eyes and she felt Riggs breath come closer to hers as he kissed them away. There was something different with him, she realized. She could feel him leaning back again and she opened her eyes.

Riggs sat back in the chair next to her bed, still connected to her by one hand in hers. As she turned her head towards him, something shiny caught the corner of her eyes. She turned her head some more to be able to focus her eyes at the object and it was a golden wedding band placed on her bedside table. Riggs must have seen her confused look.

"Yeah, um…" He picked up the ring. "I need to tell you something."

Now Karen felt even more confused, and frankly a little scared.

"See, this is not my wedding ring." He held it up between his thumb and index finger. She stared at it and then at him.

"What are you talking about?" Honestly, what was this?

Riggs cleared his throat. "I bought this at a pawnshop. I lost the real one in the ocean."

"What? When?"

"Some months ago."

She looked at him with surprise.

"I know, but I just couldn't let go. I felt so lost without it."

Oh. She knew what he was talking about, that nakedness. Like freefalling into a new reality that you couldn't handle yet. Riggs was focusing on the ring, deep in thought. She squeezed his hand.

"It's okay, been there."

Riggs looked at her again. "Yeah, I guess you have." His smile came back. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I don't need it anymore."

Ooh! Palmer stared at him. He was dead serious. She swallowed down a lump in her throat.

"So yeah. I don't know what to do with this now. Give it to someone who needs it better I guess," Riggs said looking bashful.

You lovable doofus of a man, Palmer thought and tears began falling again, against her will.

"Oh, okay." She was speechless, but then a thought hit her.

"Did I really have to almost die for you to figure that out?" she said hoarsely and rolled her eyes at him. She tried to keep a straight face but her smile broke through, tears and everything.

Riggs didn't laugh. "Sorry," he said instead.

That wasn't the reaction she wanted. She shook her head slowly, unable to stop smiling at him.

"Hey, stop it. I don't blame you for a single thing. You saved my life, as usual." She winked at him. "We're good like that." She tugged at his hand for him to come closer to her. He put the ring in his pocket and leaned over.

"Yes, we are." He grinned at her before kissing her sweetly on the lips. She savored every millisecond of it. He pulled back but stayed close to her, leaning carefully against the hospital bed.

"So…" she began, gazing into his eyes dancing with mirth. "We're dating now or what?"

"You bet."


End file.
